Rhode Island S2263: AN ACT RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- FARMLAND PRESERVATION ACT (Prohibits any city, town, quasi-municipal corporat

What the bill says

From the introduced text, January 23, 2026:

2026 -- S 2263 ======== LC004304 ======== STATEOFRHODEISLAND IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026 ____________ ANACT RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- FARMLAND PRESERVATION ACT Introduced By: Senators Patalano, Ciccone, Thompson, LaMountain, Dimitri, E Morgan, Appollonio, Burke, Famiglietti, and Urso Date Introduced: January 23, 2026 Referred To: Senate Housing & Municipal Government It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: SECTION 1. Section 42-82-16 of the General Laws in Chapter 42-82 entitled "Farmland Preservation Act" is hereby amended to read as follows: 42-82-16. Charges for utility extension. (a) No city, town, quasi-municipal corporation, or public corporation may assess the owner of an agricultural operation having frontage on a public roadway for the extension of water and sewer utilities past the property. (b)"Connection fees", for purposes of this section, mean any impact fee or connection fee or any other fee designed to circumvent the prohibition contained in this section. "Connection fee" shall not include any administrative, overhead, or equipment fee or the construction costs related to extension of or connection to a water main. (c) No city, town, quasi-municipal corporation or public corporation shall assess the owner of an agricultural operation as defined in § 2-23-4, or agricultural land as defined in § 42-82-2, in existence as of July 1, 2026 and having frontage on a public roadway, …

Read the full official text

Sponsors

• Todd Patalano (D, SD-026) · primary sponsor
• Frank Ciccone (D, SD-007)
• Brian Thompson (D, SD-020)
• Matthew LaMountain (D, SD-031)
• Andrew Dimitri (D, SD-025)
• Elaine Morgan (R, SD-034)
• Peter Appollonio (D, SD-029)
• John Burke (D, SD-009)
• Stefano Famiglietti (D, SD-004)
• Lori Urso (D, SD-008)

Latest actions

1. May 28, 2026: Referred to House Municipal Government & Housing
2. May 27, 2026: Senate read and passed
3. May 22, 2026: Placed on Senate Calendar
4. May 21, 2026: Committee recommends passage
5. May 15, 2026: Scheduled for consideration
6. March 12, 2026: Committee recommended measure be held for further study
7. March 9, 2026: Scheduled for hearing and/or consideration
8. January 23, 2026: Introduced, referred to Senate Housing and Municipal Government

Votes

• Senate Seq #244: (May 27, 2026): 37 yea, 0 nay, passed
• Senate Committee on Housing & Municipal Government: Passage (May 21, 2026): 7 yea, 0 nay, passed
• Senate Committee on Housing & Municipal Government: Passage (March 12, 2026): 7 yea, 0 nay, passed

Common questions

What is S2263?

S2263 is a bill in the Rhode Island Legislature (2026 Regular Session): AN ACT RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- FARMLAND PRESERVATION ACT (Prohibits any city, town, quasi-municipal corporat.

What does S2263 do?

AN ACT RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- FARMLAND PRESERVATION ACT (Prohibits any city, town, quasi-municipal corporation or public corporation from assessing any existing agricultural operation or agricultural land for the extension of any water utilities past the property and from imposing any connection fee.)

What is the status of S2263?

In committee as of May 28, 2026. Latest action: Referred to House Municipal Government & Housing (May 28, 2026).

Who sponsored S2263?

Todd Patalano (D, SD-026), with 9 co-sponsors.

Where is the official record for S2263?

On the Rhode Island Legislature website: http://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/SenateText26/S2263.pdf